The new E-ZPass tag is about half the size of the older model.Staten Island Advance photo

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Islanders are receiving replacement E-ZPass tags, and they work just the same as the old ones.

The new tags are about half the size of the original model.

"The new smaller tags are being given out to replace tags whose batteries
are nearing the end of their useful life and for new accounts," an MTA spokeswoman said. So not everyone will be receiving the sleeker, new tags right away.

The new tags are now smaller, but of course they tolls they collect remain the same. The tags easily affix to the windshield the same way as the old ones, with the adhesives positioned the identical distance apart. (You won't need to replace the adhesives that are already on your windshield.)

When you receive the new tags from E-ZPass, you must return the old ones in the envelope that's provided. Failure to do so will result in a "lost tag" charge. Electronic tolling debuted on Staten Island at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in 1995.

The new tags were supplied to E-ZPass Group members through a 10-year contract signed in 2011 with Kapsch TrafficCom IVHS, Inc., according to the MTA.